Winning at home has been tough for the Sharks
this season. Winning consecutive games at home has been an impossibility until
Thursday night when San Jose knocked off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in
overtime at SAP Center. Logan Couture stepped in front of an Alex Pietrangelo
pass in the extra period, then raced up ice and deposited his 26th goal of the
season to help San Jose for the second time in as many games in their own barn.
The win means San Jose moves farther from the Western Conference
basement. They now sit ahead of both Anaheim and the Chicago Blackhawks.
San Jose jumped out to 2-goal lead in the opening period. Mario
Ferraro staked the Sharks to an early advantage by scoring 4:16 into the
contest. Ferraro unloaded on a shot from the blueline that hit Brett Howden and
changed directions on Golden Knight's goaltender Laurent Brossoit. The goal was
Ferraro's 4th of the season.
Oskar Lindblom added to the Sharks lead
at 14:31, after the Sharks forced a turnover in the neutral zone. Lindblom
carried the puck in on the right side before dropping it to Ferraro on the
boards and heading to the net. Ferraro sent a pass to the area in front off
Brossoit where Lindblom was headed. The Swedish forward got a stick blade on
Ferraro's pass, redirecting it past Brossoit for his 6th tally of the season.
Nicolas Hague halved the Sharks lead with 3 minutes remaining in the
period after goaltender James Reimer turned the puck over behind the San Jose
net. Vegas worked the puck out front, forcing Reimer to fall to the ice in an
attempt to keep it out of his own net. With Reimer on his back, Ben Hutton
moved the puck to the high slot where Hague released a shot into a side open
net.
Vegas tied the game 68 seconds into the 2nd period after Erik
Karlsson was sent off for tripping. The Golden Knights power play converted
when Ivan Barbashev punched home an Nicolas Roy feed from in tight.
Tomas Hertl helped the Sharks reclaim the lead at 11:47 after the sharks pushed
the pace in the Vegas zone. Hertl tipped a Martin Kaut feed, lifting it over
Brossoit's right shoulder for his 21st goal of the season.
Thomas Bordeleau just missed on a redirect chance
into a wide open net midway through the 3rd period after Logan Couture found
him with a pass off the left wing boards. That would prove even bigger when
Michael Amadio deposited a shot moments later to tie the game at 3-3. Chandler
Stephenson put a shot on net that Reimer stopped, but Amadio was parked on the
doorstep to punch home the rebound.
A tripping call on Jacob MacDonald
with 3:28 to play setup a prime chance for the Golden Knights to claim their
first lead, but the steady Sharks penalty kill denied Vegas.
Couture's
magic helped secure the win in thrilling fashion, and propelling the Sharks
past Anaheim in the Pacific Division standings.
Game
Notes: * San Jose recalled centerman Thomas Bordeleau from the
Barracuda earlier in the day. To make room for the rookie forward, San Jose
sent Andrew Agozzino to their top minor league affiliate.
* Henry
Thrun made his NHL debut and had himself a night. The former Harvard University
captain recorded a pair of assists for his first NHL points. The defenseman was
credited with the primary assist on Ferraro's goal and the secondary assist on
Lindblom's tally. Thrun's family was in attendance for his debut.
*
Oskar Lindblom was injured early in the 2nd period and did not return.
* Defenseman Jacob MacDonald led the Sharks with 5 shots on goal. Tomas Hertl
added 4 of the Sharks 25 shots in the game.
* San Jose finished the
month of March with a 3-8-3 record. 2 of their 3 wins came in teh last two
games of the month.
